Charles l



(No Model.)

C. L. HIGGINS.

FOOT WEAR Patented Feb. 26, 1895.

ITED STATES FATENT' OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HIGGINS, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

FOOTWEAR.

srEoIrIcATIoN forming eat of Letters Patent No. 534,794, dated February 26,1895.

Application filed April 14, 1894. Serial No. 507.613. (No model.)

To all whom it Jar/my concern.-

Be itknown that I, CHARLES LEANDER HIG- GINS, of the city of Montreal, in the district of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Footwear; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to foot wear or coverings known to the trade as cardigan overshoes and has for its object to produce a better article and one more easily and cheaply manufactured.

Heretofore it has been customary to take a complete stocking having a fully shaped foot portion, place it over a last and then thoroughly cover the greater part of'such footportion with cement after which the usual rubber foot portion has been set over this cemented part and the article thus completed. There are several objections to this method in that the cost of the stocking with the fully shaped foot portion is considerable, the ocmenting of the greater part of this foot portion is a lengthy process and requires a careful marking of the outline of the space that the body ofcement is to occupy, and the soaking of the cement through the stocking to the last causes a great deal of trouble in the way of its sticking thereto, the. My invention on the contrary avoids these several objections, simplifies the process of manufacture to a considerable extent and produces an improved article.

The invention embodies as an important feature the method of separately connecting the lining of the rubber foot portion to the leg portion and then attaching the foot portion to both lining and leg portion, and the second part of the invention relates to the construction of the complete article as hereinafter described and claimed.

For full comprehension however of the invention, reference must be had to the accompanying drawings in which like symbols indicate corresponding parts, and wherein- Figure 1 is a plan view in outline of a length of straight stock from which two leg parts are obtained by severing it on the dotted line shown. Fig. 2 is a sideview of a leg part reinforced at its lower end. Fig. 3 is a side view of the leg part with lining of rubber foot portion attached. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section on line as a; Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 a side view of the complete article.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably take a length of straight cylindrical stocking leg sufficient for two leg portions of a cardigan overshoe and divide or cut it into two like parts a, a, on the transverse line 1) shown in Fig. 1, after which I reinforce the edges 0' preferably by a strip of worsted binding, or the like, bent along its length so as toinclose the raw edges 0 of the leg parts at and sewed in place. I then take the usual lining d of the rubber foot portion and stitch it along the lines 01 to the reinforced edge of the leg portion after which theouter rubber foot portion e is fitted over and connected to such lining d in the usual way, it being customary to perform this by cementing while in position on a last. This method of separately connecting the lining d to the leg portion allows of a much stronger and better connection being made between such parts, and the upper edge of the outer foot portion proper being located over the seam or connection effectively covers it up thus improving the appearance of the article besides avoiding any necessity for a separate covering strip, or of the strain upon the leg portion in pulling the article on the foot from damaging the edge of the rubber. Furthermore the locating of the lower edge of the leg portion on the inside so that its edge faces the foot portion instead of the leg avoids any chance of obstruction to the insertion of the booted foot of the wearer.

What I claim is as follows:

1. In the manufacture of foot wear of the class described, separately connecting the lining of the rubber foot portion to the textile leg portions before securing such rubber foot portion to the lining, and then attaching such rubber foot portion to both lining and leg portion to overlap the connection between the lining and leg portion for the purposes set forth.

2. A foot covering of the class described, composed of a textile leg portion with its bottom edge reinforced by a separate binding strip, the lining for a rubber foot portion secured to the outside surface of said edge and the rubber foot portion proper secured to said lining with its upper edge overlapping the connection between the lining and leg portion;

3. In a foot covering the combination of the knitted leg portion a, having its lower edge 0' reinforced by a single strip of worsted binding bent along such edge and sewed in place; 1

liningd secured to such edge 0 by stitching, and outer rubber foot portion e, with its upper edge overlapping the connection between said lining and leg portion, substantially as 10 and for the purposes set forth.

CHARLES L. HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

FRED. J. SEARS, R. ALF. HIMBER. 

